"This is just the sort of approach needed to get able pupils hooked on science"

Pam Large, Science Teacher & Reviewer, Sacred Heart High School

FACILITATING LEARNING FOR ABLE PUPILS:

Providing stimulating and motivating lessons for Gifted and Talented pupils in secondary school science can be one of the most rewarding teaching experiences - with a vast array of exciting concepts to explore and a wealth of history to uncover. However, it can also be very problematic and a source of stress for the classroom teacher. The science curriculum is demanding, with a significant amount of information to deliver. With the additional requirements of SC1 investigative work, time constraints can play a major factor in our ability to cope successfully with gifted and talented scientists.

As the co-ordinator for the Gifted and Talented I found that, in my department - as in many I have since discussed new approaches with, everyday teaching meant that the gifted pupils were not challenged sufficiently - the result of which was often a lack of enthusiasm to study science further. Discussions with students revealed an opinion of science becoming 'boring' in secondary school - the sense of fun and exploration having been replaced with facts to learn rather than explore, and concepts to remember rather than investigate.

My approach, now inherent in all resources produced by Aspire.more able - was to write lessons covering specified criteria, that also develop thinking skills, communication skills and problem solving techniques - all with historical or contemporary references to the science being applied. Through the development of these lessons, we added a sense of competition between teams, a sense of investigative thinking and a sense of 'fun'. The delivery style of the lesson is important, offering something 'out of the ordinary' for the pupils. More importantly - the lessons are written in such a way that encourages thinking - rather than rote learning, and rewards the process of problem solving rather than the correct answer alone.

Concepts are constructed by the pupils through causal and correlation reasoning; having made observations of a teacher demonstration, conducted targeted class experiments or discussed thinking experiments. High level skills: comprehension, analysis, synthesis of ideas and evaluation all help deliver material in a way that stimulates and challenges the most able of science students. Instead of accelerating the students through the content of the next stage of education, which can be very problematic unless a well structured scheme is in place, this approach teaches the students to enjoy and develop thinking, whilst learning examinable criteria and exploring ideas that form a basis for A Level learning and beyond. Additionally, the skills required to produce SC1 coursework are similarly developed. These advantages allow the 'gifted and talented' to be provided for in a manner in which teachers feel comfortable with the time allocated.

Extract from an article featured in, 'Special Children' - by M Hackett, Founder

OUR APPROACH:

The role of the teacher is more of a facilitator - guiding the pupils in their learning by working through short segments of the lessons at a time. These lessons are designed to help develop the students' ability to model scientific concepts and apply existing knowledge to new situations. This is achieved through carefully structured questioning and demonstrations of creating a model.

The lessons should be presented as challenges for the pupils. Classes are required to watch demonstrations, conduct experiments or analyse information. Students then answer any questions using their observations, collective knowledge and problem solving skills. This learning style focuses on logic, developing a good awareness of how to approach problems, pattern spotting and, often, teamwork. This requires time; pupils need to think and talk about the science involved.

By working in a team, pupils are encouraged to be more aware of their thought processes, allowing them to 'rehearse' ideas and explore new ones. This approach has been found to enhance learning. 'More able' pupils are often fascinated with problems and thrive on the riddle of theories, words, concepts etc. - these lessons are designed with this in mind!

ORGANISATION:

Select teams of pupils - preferably not friendship groups, very quickly in the lesson.

Teams sit together with access to plain and lined paper - one or more sheets for each member of the team and some larger pieces for group brainstorming. The team should decide on a team leader - who will act to evaluate all suggestions from the team and make the final decision as to the answer to put forward to the class.

Introducing the lessons as competitions between teams adds a further 'fun' factor and aids motivation. Students should be told to watch any demonstrations very carefully, to brainstorm various possible answers to questions and apply their existing scientific knowledge to any new situations. Tell them this is a challenging but rewarding way to learn - where they drive the ideas.

The teams have an allocated time for various tasks - which acts as a motivator for concentrated thought.

During this time - circulate to listen to ideas, whilst encouraging imagination and application of knowledge.

Now ask different teams about their answer, randomly selecting the first teams to volunteer ideas. It is preferable if all teams can contribute, but if this is difficult - due to time constraints - ask if there are any alternative answers. Do not disclose which answers are correct or partially correct until all answers have been heard or until indicated in the teacher guide. The emphasis should be on rewarding the effort of the teams' suggestion rather than correctness!

This is an attempt to foster a 'safe' learning environment, where pupils have the confidence to volunteer new ideas without fear of being 'right' or 'wrong'.

Finally, discuss the actual answer - making reference to good points from team contributions. Be careful not to divulge information for the next set of questions - familiarity with the presentation is important.

METACOGNITION:

"An important part of developing thinking skills is for pupils to become conscious of and articulate about the sort of thinking they are employing to solve different problems. Thinking back and reflecting aloud helps to develop this consciousness."
Adey et al (1989)

Evaluating work done - asking pupils to explain the logic behind their answers/solutions - enables them to reflect on their process of thinking.

For example:

o Explain the reasons behind your selected answer.
o What evidence do you have to support your decision?
o Have you learned anything about the way you think?
o How effectively did you work within your team?
o Explain how discussing ideas as a team helped you to reach a conclusion.

Many of the presentations include such questions, but having completed the presentation, use appropriate questioning to encourage the pupils' awareness of their own processes for learning. Not only does this help to improve thinking skills, this process acts as an evaluation for the teacher.

During our 5 day event - TARGET MARS - we issue each pupil with a 'Think Pad/Daily Diary'. Time is planned each day for a comment and discussion of ideas to be completed. Pupils are encouraged to make diary entries explaining how they have felt about the day they have just worked through. They are asked to comment on progress made, mistakes, successes, relations with team members, how they found different learning techniques etc. This has proved very popular with all pupils participating in the event and provides a document that maps their most effective methods of working.

OTHER ACTIVITIES TO CONSIDER:

Cryptic Questions: Used within existing lessons and as homework, the students have to conduct research to find out what the question is actually requiring of them, before they can answer the challenge! 'Able' pupils really did enjoy these, producing excellent work - following quite extensive research. The challenge is two-fold, allowing pupils success at varying levels. The questions also encourage the pupils to refine their research and write a succinct answer (an essential skill for SC1 planning). Additionally, the answers require pupils to work with the researched information, rather than simply print from researched sites. Furthermore, pupils have to compare the ease of finding information using the internet or reference books.

Try the samples of our Cryptic Questions with your pupils. Look under 'Resources'.

Actual Investigations - as opposed to investigations set-up to allow maximum marks in the write-up. By taking the risk of setting up an investigation, where the outcome is not easily predictable and the content of lessons prior to the investigation has not negated the reason of doing the investigation(!), pupils feel a sense of excitement. These investigations can be used to teach curricula content, rather than achieve the SC1 mark.

Tropisms, Electrochemistry, Electricity and Seeing Straight? all feature such investigative work.

Events out of timetable: Vertical groupings of 'able' science pupils could be allowed out of the timetable to study, discuss and experiment with `wider ranging` concepts and ideas that often do not form examinable material, but develop their problem solving and thinking skills. It is also an opportunity to develop key skills and enterprise skills, rewarding pupils with 'fun' days of challenging activities.

Participation in a 'day out of timetable' could act as a reward to your pupils, providing further motivation and celebrating good work. Such a day helps to raise acceptance of success in the classroom and is well received by teachers, pupils and parents.

There is some discussion of regular times being timetabled for able pupils to develop their abilities and skills in periods known as 'Professional Development'. Students are challenged to develop problem solving techniques, presentation skills, research skills and critical thinking (for which there is now a GCSE qualification). The opportunity for pupils of similar abilities to meet and work together in such projects is proving beneficial in a number of schools we visit.

Week long projects, concentrating on such skills, whilst developing specific skills for the core subjects in addition to key skills and enterprise skills are becoming more and more popular. We have designed 'Target Mars' as such a week, requiring pupils to conduct targeted research and participate in an exciting story - where they all have an important role to play in the success in a mission to colonise the planet. This week long event also involves 'challenges' that can include other members of the year groups - up to 150 pupils at a time.

Have a look at our 'Events' for further information of the days we offer.

Concept maps - especially useful for revision purposes. There now exist various forms of 'cognitive' maps. These are becoming more widely available as IT supported resources, enabling class use and individual use alike. We will soon make these available for those interested.

All of these ideas take time. There is a feeling of risk involved when time is used in such a way. However, the motivation these approaches help give 'Gifted and Talented' pupils is hugely beneficial in their everyday approach to science lessons.

NOTES ABOUT OUR RESOURCES:

Time restraints prevent teachers from producing such lessons. Ours are available as over-head transparencies or dynamic PowerPoint presentations - utilising interactive whiteboards.

Some lessons can be hard work for the teacher - maintaining the pace is important. To help, the PowerPoint presentations have built in timers. The work is against the clock and this should be used as one of the motivating factors. The length of discussion time should be judged by the teacher - refer to the suggested time allowance. The timings given do allow for some flexibility and for registration and movement within the lesson.

The option to teach the material in separate sections - 'animations' - allows for individual teaching style. We have found these to be hugely popular, allowing for greater control over pace, content and emphasis - in addition to placement within existing lessons. Additionally, certain sections can be used with lower ability groups - allowing these classes to benefit from the teaching style and visual nature of the presentation.

There are separate student answer sheets, on which 'targeted' answers should be written in neat - following teacher discussion.

We produce 15 lessons, to insert into any syllabus, concerning key criteria. The amount of time spent on 'alternative' lessons is both refreshing for the pupils and productive for the school and the teacher. Approaching targeted concepts as problems for pupils to solve - deconstructing then re-constructing their explanations for events, whilst encouraging co-operative group work and developing communication skills, really does make a difference to student perception of science and their understanding of the material.

For further details, ideas and information - email us: FURTHER INFORMATION REQUEST

(c) Aspire.more able, 2002